Populuxe architecture can also be called Googie, Doo Wop, and Coffee House Architecture. Most often Populuxe and Googie are used synonymously. According to “Mid-Twentieth Century Olympia: A Context Statement on Local History and Modern Architecture, 1945-1975″ for the city of Olympia, Washington, these styles all “describe eye-catching vernacular buildings of the 1950s-1960s. Buildings associated with these styles housed bowling alleys, motels , and coffee shops along commercial strips lining main arterial roads and highways. The terms have been used in reference to some institutional and residential development, although they are more often applied to commercial businesses. For brevity, the term ‘Googie’ will be used in this description. The term ‘Googie’ originated in reference to Googie’s, a coffee shop on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. According to the book, Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture, Professor Douglas Haskell of Yale proclaimed, ‘Stop the car! This is Googie architecture’ while driving in Los Angeles. Hereafter, the term came into usage, but was often applied in a derogatory manner by the architectural critics of the time. Common building forms include the concrete shell vault, hyperbolic paraboloid, and other organic and free forms. Cantilevered roofs, glass walls built on diagonals, and folded eaves are other common features. Some buildings were clad with flagcrete, an application of concrete that was made to look like stone. Popular themes among Googie buildings include the atomic or space age and the exotic appeal of the Polynesian Islands in the Tiki genre. Design motifs in interiors and exteriors include boomerangs (a design feature on Formica counter tops, signs, and even as a building form) and dingbats, also called spiky balls or starbursts, which were somewhat reminiscent of electrons orbiting a nucleus. Googie buildings often feature prominent signs (freestanding or attached) that convey a feeling of excitement and progress. Neon was commonly used in signs and to highlight architectural features. Googie architecture is closely associated with Southern California, although there are examples of Googie architecture on the WEst Coast and nationwide.”
Identifying Features:
As noted in “Mid-Twentieth Century Olympia: A Context Statement on Local History and Modern Architecture, 1945-1975” by the city of Olympia, Washington, the defining features of the Populuxe style are:
- Organic, free form building forms
- Atomic, space age, exotic,etc building themes
- Prominent signs often with neon(freestanding or attached)
- Cantilevered roofs
- Glass walls built on diagonals
- Folded eaves
- Common use of glass, steel and neon
Source:
- Mid-Twentieth Century Olympia: A Context Statement on Local History and Modern Architecture, 1945-1975.” City of Olympia Heritage Commission. Olympia, WA: April 2008. PDF Document.http://www.ci.olympia.wa.us/~/media/Files/CPD/Hist-Preservation/MAContextStatementAPRIL2008reformatted.ashx
